Cinco de Mayo--A Whole Year Has Passed...

It was May 5 a year ago that our Mary lost her battle with cancer down in Douglas. She died on May 5th and was buried on the day that is Mother's Day is celebrated in Mexico. This Sunday is Mother's Day in the U.S. I will be remembering my wonderful mother and our Mary on Sunday.

So much has happened in the past year and it has gone by very fast. We were down in Douglas over the Fourth of July and Labor Day. It seems so strange not to see Mary in the kitchen making tortillas for us. I miss those homemade tortillas, but more than that, I miss Mary. She was always there for our family. I know my Aunt Teresa misses her and that it has been hard to be in that big old house on 14th Street with all of the memories.

Mary taught me how to fix all of the Mexican food that I make for the many occasions at school and at home. Every time I make red or green chili or beans I think about Mary.

Mary's family is still a part of our family and always will be. We appreciate how much they help Teresa down in Douglas.

I continue to be thankful for having this wonderful lady in my life for many reasons. She was a simple person without many worldly possessions, but she gave so much to all of us, particularly Judy and I. I attribute much of who I am today to her influence in my life. A year passes so quickly anymore.........

A Longtime Friendship That Means So Much!

Last week I sent a birthday email to my dear friend, Susan, as I do each year. Susan and I have been friends for more than 40 years since high school in Douglas.

We were roommates at ASU and right after we graduated. Susan is a wonderful friend. She may not remember this, but she did something for me many years ago that I will never, ever forget.

Right after I graduated from ASU, my mom was critically ill and was in the hospital in Tucson. One of my cousins was getting married here in the valley and so everyone was here for her wedding. The weekend of the wedding, my mom took a turn for the worse and I felt that I needed to be in Tucson. Susan had just met a guy named Brian who was stationed with the Marines in Yuma. He was coming up to Tempe for the weekend and it was to be their first date. I think Susan had a special feeling about him. However, she postponed that first date until the following week so that she could go with me to Tucson so that I wouldn't be going down there by myself. It meant so much to me then and truly has been an act of kindness and friendship that I have never forgotten. And that good feeling about Brian was right as they have been married for many years now.

For many years, Susan and her husband, Brian, lived in Texas. We saw each other sometimes at Christmas when we were all in Douglas visiting our families. Susan's son and Patrick are the same age and had fun together when they were little.

When my mom died in 2002, Susan came for the funeral. The next summer, Cameron, Kerri, and I drove to Texas for Elliot's wedding. We had a great time visiting with Susan's family. I hadn't seen her mom in many years as she has moved to Texas also. Susan's mom died shortly after and we talked on the phone that day. We haven't been able to get together since because Susan travels a lot in her job and mine requires so much time. We have kept in touch through email.

Susan and Brian have two beautiful grandsons, Matthew and Cody. I know how crazy she is about them!!

To my surprise, I got an email on Friday from Susan telling me that she and Brian have moved to Douglas. Brian is going to be working at the hospital in Douglas. Susan's father is a medical doctor and has been very dedicated to the hospital. Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled as this means that we will get to see each other much more often!!

So, Susie, I can't believe that we have gotten this old. You said that you didn't feel 60 other than being tired from the last month of working and moving. I agree as I don't feel that old either!! I am so happy that you are closer and that we will be able to get together more often. You are a wonderful friend and I love you!

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." As I said you probably don't even remember what you did that weekend over 37 years ago, but it meant so much to me then. Thank you for being such a great friend for so many years!

When Thank You Isn't Enough to Convey Gratitude...

Yesterday was quite a day! In a typical day in the life of a principal, the range of emotions can be unbelievable. One minute you are laughing at something darling that a child said, five minutes later you might be dealing with an angry parent. Then a staff member may come in with a personal difficulty that you listen to and empathize with. Two students will be in a fight and you must deal with that issue. So in the course of an hour you may go from laughing, to sternness, to.........

Well yesterday was definitely that kind of day. In this post I am only going to talk about what in incredible day it was for me. The morning started when our wonderful student newscasters, Riley and Briley, announced on the morning news that I had been named Gilbert Education Foundation Administrator of the Year. I had found out about this award about a week ago. The students in my school had all written a word to describe me and made a "wordle" for me. A wordle takes all of the words and mixes them together to make word art. The really cool thing about it is that it takes the words that are used the most and makes them stand out more. I had never seen one before. Then they invited each class in our school to send their two best huggers to the office to give me a hug. In the next few minutes, I was visited by about 50 kids and got the best hugs. I was so touched by this. Thank you, Riley, Briley, Cade, and Tom!!!!
Last night was the Gilbert Education Foundation dinner where the awards were given out. My wonderfully supportive family was there and I thank them for being there with me. Teresa, Judy, Glennie, Kerri, Yaya, Pat, Cecilia and Jay were all there. It meant a lot to me. Thank you, Judy, for paying for everyone.Two of my wonderful teacher friends were also there, Dottie and Carol. They had written nomination letters for me and Dottie put them all together in a wonderful scrapbook. I had not read them until this morning--I don't know what to say. Thank you, Dottie, Carol, Barb, Louise, Kathy, Nurse Barb, Shirley, Heather, Shannon, and Dolores for the letters you wrote. I will cherish them forever!!
I was honored along with two colleagues in the district--one teacher and one support staff. I couldn't think of anyone better to get an honor with than Sherry Hornby from our district testing department. Sherry is one of the nicest human beings that you would ever want to be around. She is at Gilbert El quite often as she participates in our Tiger Buddy mentoring program. She is a wonderful mentor to a student each year and always goes above and beyond. Thank you, Sherry, for all that you do!

The Gilbert Education Foundation has given financial assistance to many of our families at Gilbert El over the past several years. They have been generous and have always given when I have called. I feel so honored to have been chosen by them for this award. Thank you to Darcey, Shane, Jeff and everyone associated with the Foundation!!!

Something else happened yesterday that I think says everything about what being an educator is all about as far as I am concerned. I am going to give a little background first. There is a mom at our school who has terminal cancer. She has two elementary age children, a high school daughter, and a four year old son. This is their first year at our school. They have no family in the area. Our social worker and nurse and our parent liaison have gone above and beyond for this family, as have several of the teachers and parents in the children's classrooms. Above and beyond doesn't even begin to explain what they have done. Last weekend, one of our teachers, Nancy, arranged to have her daughter-in-law who is a photographer, take pictures of the family so that the children would have a lasting gift of their mom. Jan, another teacher, took mom to get her hair done for the photo shoot. I am putting the link to the blog so that you can see these beautiful pictures and read what Tami wrote on her blog. I can guarantee that it will bring tears to your eyes. Here is the site: www.tamiproffitt.blogspot.com It is the post for Sunday, April 19.

About noon, I walked out of my office and saw a deputy sheriff come in the door with what looked like an envelope in her hand. There was a lot of activity in the office right then so she waited patiently. I stood out there for a minute to see why she was there as law enforcement visits aren't always "fun." I heard her tell Cris that she went to Gilbert El as a child and that her mother had died when she was 10. She told Cris that everyone had been so kind to her when her mom died and she has always remembered that kindness. She went on to explain to Cris that she had found out about the mom with terminal cancer from Tami's blog and she asked about what school it was. When she found out it was Gilbert El, she wanted to do something. So she handed Cris the envelope and said that it was for the family. When Cris asked her name, she said she didn't want to give it. She just wanted to give back because of how she had been treated as a child. In the envelope were five $20 bills....

This says it all to me and the fact that it happened yesterday....... This just confirms my belief that what we as educators do each day makes such a profound impact in so many, many ways and in ways we may never know.

I am very grateful that I have the job that I do, at the school where I am, with the teachers, staff, and students that I work with each and every day. Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to convey all of my emotions, but I will say it anyway...........

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Surfing AZ Way!

It has been a very long week at school this week. So much going on and so much to still figure out. In the past, April and May have been planning months for next school year. With all of the budget crisis, no one has any answers about what will be happening next school year. I had two meetings this week that were very long. We needed to have them, but we really didn't find out anything that will help us with planning at this time. It is very frustrating for everyone involved!!

Tonight I had the first grade musical, which was absolutely darling. Our first graders presented "The Mice from Outerspace" for all of their families. It was followed by the PTSO meeting. We are in need of parents willing to be officers on our PTSO. For some reason, we have had a difficult time finding parents who are willing to commit to this. I think it is so much uncertainty with the economy.

In my job, I must deal with everything that is happening. It is so hard to hear all of the sad stories that are happening right now......

So when I got home tonight about 8:15, Cameron and Kerri were in the pool. Pancho, with is obsession with balls, was running around the pool with his yelping bark in hopes that they would throw a ball for him to fetch. You can hear him for blocks!! Cameron yelled at me to go out and see my little Lucy who had gotten on the little surfboard and was riding around the pool without a care in the world, providing some laughter in a yucky week!

What would we do without the joy that our pets bring to us? I know my life would not be the same!! They bring such unconditional joy and love to us each and every day. I can tell you that "I LOVE LUCY!"

It's Michael's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Michael!! April has been a busy month for family birthdays. Today is my cousin Michael's birthday. Michael is one of my Uncle Bill's seven children. Michael, his wife Rebecca, and their darling little boy, Vincent, live in San Francisco.

Michael is our "television star" cousin. Michael starred in the show "Animal Cops, San Francisco." I found this bio on the internet about Michael:

Lt. Michael Scott was born and raised in San Francisco, where he attended college and worked in retail sales before coming to Animal Care and Control. Lt. Scott has attended Humane Academy courses, both standard and advanced, and is also post-certified in peace officer standards and training. During his 14 years at the agency, Lt. Scott has enjoyed working with dogs and wildlife, and has adopted a Maltese-poodle mix named Mango.

What are your thoughts on animal cruelty? "Until I came to ACC, I didn't think animal cruelty was a large problem. I thought it was just kids picking on cats or pulling dogs' tails — things like that. However, the things I've seen in the past 14 years have proved to me that humane law enforcement is a necessity. A person that takes out anger on an animal is of the weakest character. It's my goal to educate people and to prevent animal suffering."

This show can still be seen on rerun. The tall, dark, and handsome one is our Michael!

Michael and Rebecca were married in San Francisco a few summers ago. Of course, we all went out for the wedding. We were very proud when Michael asked Patrick to be in his wedding. We had a wonderful time!

So, Michael, hope your birthday is very happy today. And we are proud that you are the movie star in our family!! It is definitely better to be FAMOUS than INFAMOUS!!

Happy 16th Birthday, Ryan!

Happy 16th birthday, Ryan! It doesn't seem possible that you are really 16 today. I will always remember the day that you were born. It was a half day at school and we were having a potluck lunch. I got the phone call just before the lunch had started from my mom saying that you were a boy! Your mom and dad waited so long for you and everyone was so thrilled for them.

I have seen you grow from that little boy to the wonderful young man you have become. I am so glad that we have been able to be a part of your life and see you grow up.

Last summer when you drove with me for the first time up at the cabin was such fun (and a bit scary). My mom taught all of the "cousins" to drive down in Douglas before they were able to get their drivers' licenses. It was so fun for me to be able to carry on that tradition.

It is so great to hear how well you are doing in high school with your good grades and your dedication and the hard work that you put into diving. Hope you have a wonderful birthday today!! Lots of love from all of us!!

Sometimes Things SUCK!! (Yes, I am using the "S" word)

About two weeks ago, all of the principals were called to a meeting about the budget, or lack thereof. It was on a Thursday at the end of the day. I know that I was dreading getting the call to come to this meeting. I knew it was inevitable, but that doesn't mean I was prepared for what we were going to be told.

At that meeting, our superintendent told us about the latest budget projections that the district had been given. The Arizona Legislature has a long standing history of not being friendly to public education. So the projections and outlook were very bleak. Based on the information that they were given for this time, our district alone has a projected deficit of $27 million. That is mind boggling to say the least.

April 15 is best known for tax day. However, according to state statute, that is also the day that teachers have to find out if they have a contract for the next year. For the 38 years that I have been in education, this date was just that--a date. Yes, we always had to type our list of teachers that were being recommended for reemployment. Yes, that always went over to the district before a Governing Board meeting in April. Yes, it was important if there was a teacher who may not have a contract renewed because of inadequate classroom performance. But on the whole, it really never seemed to be that significant to those of us in the trenches.

When it became apparent to districts that the legislature was not going to be even close to any kind of a budget by this date, many of the districts and the Arizona School Board Association asked the legislature to change the April 15 date until June 15. District didn't want to have to lay off teachers based on insufficient budget information. The Arizona Education Association opposed this change of dates. It was defeated in the legislature by the minority Democrats. At the time, I thought that was probably a mistake as June 15 would have given us more time to figure out what to do and maybe we would have some definite information about the money allotted to our district.

In order to find $27 million in a budget, salaries are the biggest source of funds. So we were told that all first year teachers, as well as phased retirement teachers, teachers on end of year contracts, future teachers who were given a letter of intent... would all need to be told that they would not be given a contract for next year at this time. In all, there were nine teachers at my school that I had to meet with on Friday after school.

I truly thought that last year when our school didn't make AYP and had to go through school improvement just because we gave accommodations to special ed students was the hardest "thing" I have had to be a part of as an educator. I can say that this meeting was the worst. We are talking about teachers' lives!!!

That Friday meeting was heart-wrenching, to say the least. There is a general pervasive feeling of gloom every day when I go to school. Gloom about these wonderful educators, some of whom are the finest, most experienced teachers I have ever worked with. Some of whom have such awesome potential for our children! Some who have dedicated themselves to working with our Autistic children and are fabulous at it. And worry about what is going to happen next year as far as class size is concerned, will there be enough supplies and books......a sense of foreboding.....

This is when I changed my mind about the April 15th deadline. Maybe the general public will FINALLY get up in arms and do something--write their legislators, bombard them with emails and phone calls, enlist the help of their friends and neighbors --whatever it takes.

We need to educate our children. That is what our country is all about. It is a cliche to say that children are the future. BUT THEY ARE!!!!!!!

I have come home exhausted over the last few weeks. It is an exhaustion that I have not felt before. I feel so powerless...........

Then to top it off, I spent today down at the Arizona Department of Education listening to teachers who have done something "immoral or unprofessional" as part of the committee that I have sat on for the last nine years. We listened to two different teachers who had come to school drunk. They are both sober now and realize the mistakes that they have made. It is really sad when these things happen. I think today it was harder than normal.........

I know that writing this post won't really help with any of these situations. However, it is always therapeutic to me--at least a little bit....maybe?